Greenspan says U.S. economy OK, except for housing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy is in good shape, excluding the housing sector, former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan said in an interview on Wednesday.

"Excluding the problems we're having in housing, it's in reasonably good shape, better than most of the times I've dealt with it," Greenspan said on CNBC, when asked his assessment of the U.S. economy.

"The trouble, unfortunately, is that we are undergoing, what looks to me to be an inevitable significant decline in home prices, the result of the buildup of very large inventories of new homes," he said.

Asked whether the downturn was almost over, Greenspan said: "No. There's a great deal of uncertainty out there."