The head of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke, says the U.S. needs "to continue to develop and implement policies that will help the housing sector get back on its feet."

Speaking at the closing day of the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., Bernanke told home builders that there are too many factors dragging on the housing industry for it to shake off the recession and join the economic recovery that economists calculate started two years ago.

That recovery, Bernanke said, "has been disappointing in part because U.S. housing markets remain out of balance. Many local markets have an overhang of empty and foreclosed homes, and many potentially creditworthy homebuyers cannot obtain mortgages."

"The problems in housing also have important implications outside the construction industry," Bernanke said.