In Virginia Beach on Monday morning, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner heard from an insurance company employee who wondered whether Congress would nationalize some major banks, further eroding their stocks' value.

In the Ghent section of Norfolk, business owners told Warner that they were surviving but had family members who had lost jobs or employees who are struggling to pay their mortgages.

Warner visited Hampton Roads for the first time since taking office in Washington and fielded questions about the federal stimulus package, the housing market and health care. He said he came to hear local residents' concerns and offer assurance that lawmakers are trying to address them.

"We're in very tough times, but at least you're starting to see action," he said toward the end of the visit, adding that the recently passed federal stimulus package would take time to work. "At least the framework of a plan is being put forward."

The Democratic senator and former governor of Virginia started the morning at Geico insurance company's Virginia Beach call center - a business that's hiring while others are announcing layoffs. Warner had held a "town hall" meeting at Geico during his campaign and returned to hear from those workers.

Jerry Figueroa, a Geico underwriter, told Warner that he bought shares of Citibank and Bank of America last fall, as the economy began its steepest slide, and worried that a federal takeover of the banks would strip investors of remaining value.

Warner said he didn't expect Congress to nationalize the banks but to seek a public/private partnership to determine the value of the subprime mortgage assets that the banks need to unload from their balance sheets. Until that problem is resolved, "you're probably going to see some downward pressure" on stock prices, Warner told Figueroa.

Around lunch time, members of the Ghent Business Association strolled with Warner as he popped into a few Colley Avenue shops and restaurants, shook hands with employees and customers and asked how they were doing.

Jerry Meltsner, owner of No Frill Bar and Grill restaurants in Ghent and Virginia Beach, said his business was holding up. "The hard question, though, is what's going to happen next," he said.

His son, a land surveyor, just lost his job with a company that's downsizing because of the slowdown in the construction market, Meltsner said. "Even our government doesn't seem to have the answers. That's what's scary."

The federal stimulus plan includes money for programs - such as high-speed rail service, information technology for the health care industry and green energy - that will have real benefits for the economy, particularly in job creation, Warner said. "There's dollars now," he said. "The challenge is going to be to make sure it's spent efficiently."

Norma Dorey, owner of Changes Hairstyling & City Spa for 25 years, said her sales have slid and some of her employees cannot pay their mortgages. Warner's visit, though, bolstered her outlook, she said.

"It gives us a sense of confidence," Dorey said. "He cares enough to shake hands with everybody on the street, and he has an ear for us."

Ending his visit at No Frill, Warner chatted with Cheryl Davidson, who was lunching with colleagues in the real estate business. She told Warner that she hoped banks would begin lending again.

"With the stimulus package, we're starting to slowly see a turnaround," said Davidson, a loan officer for TowneBank Mortgage, after Warner left her table. "Buyers are starting to come out."

Many people Warner met Monday expressed optimism about the future, he noted at the end of his visit.

"People are concerned, but they also know that it's going to take some time to turn things around," he said. "I actually expected to see more anger or real frustration."