WASHINGTON U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reaffirmed the strength and soundness of the country's banking system in a meeting with bank CEOs on Thursday, a Treasury Department statement said.

During the meeting with more than two dozen CEOs and executives convened by the Bank Policy Institute, Yellen also discussed the "urgent need" for Congress to address the debt limit, the statement said.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Eric Beech)