FDIC chief calls again for foreclosure relief

BALTIMORE — FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said Thursday she is "still hopeful" of using federal bailout money to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

"The issue is whether it's an appropriate use of (Treasury bailout) funds or not, we think it is," Bair said in a breakfast speech hosted by the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. "We think it's a good investment and so we are meeting with both Congress and the Secretary of the Treasury on that still."

When asked about resistance from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Bair said: "We have a great working relationship and I'm still talking with him. So, still hopeful."

By the end of the year, foreclosure listing service RealtyTrac Inc. expects more than a million bank-owned properties to be on the market, representing about one-third of all properties for sale in the U.S.

The one thing government is not doing to deal with the economic crisis is foreclosure relief, Bair said, adding she was afraid of sounding "like a Johnny one-note."

Such action would help stabilize home prices in a housing market that Bair fears is starting to overcorrect. "If there's one thing the government has to do it's tackle these unnecessary foreclosures," she said.

Falling home values have been a significant drag on the economy and it made sense for her agency to protect the value of homes on which banks are lending money, Bair said.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairman has broken with the Bush administration in calling for using $24 billion of the bailout money to help Americans at risk of losing their homes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging Paulson to support the FDIC plan.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers earlier this week that in cases of some home loans, the FDIC plan could be costly but is still a "very promising approach." While resistant to using bailout money to provide mortgage guarantees, Paulson has said the administration will look for ways to provide foreclosure relief.