Paulson: housing bill woes not insurmountable

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Thursday said that problems with a housing relief bill under debate in the House of Representatives are "not insurmountable" and he would work toward a bill that President George W. Bush could sign.

"I can't talk about a compromise now, other than the problems here are not insurmountable, and it's my job and others working for the president to get to a housing bill that is acceptable and one that he can sign," Paulson told Fox Business News in an interview from Kansas City, Missouri.

He said the bill as it is structured now would shift too much risk from financial institutions to taxpayers and it was unacceptable to make permanent an increase in loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)