Bernanke: U.S. economy will soon start to grow

The U.S. economy will soon start growing again, although likely not fast enough for unemployed Americans looking to return to work, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a group of finance officials Friday. The nation's unemployment rate, registering last month at 9.4 percent, is likely to remain high and decline only gradually, he told finance officials and experts from around the world at an annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Further, he said, tight credit, which has hampered the economic recovery and Americans' ability to get mortgages, car loans and credit cards, will also likely take some time to loosen as banks still account for losses.