A nine-character numbering system that is used to identify companies and individual securities in the United States and Canada. More specifically, it is used by all segments of the securities trading industry to identify registered U.S. and Canadian stocks, municipal bonds, and U.S. government securities by issuer and type. The procedures of number assignment were introduced in 1967. The CUSIP number consists of nine numerals; the first six are the issuer number, the next two are the issue number and the last is a check digit. This number is included in any communication with securities holders.
The CUSIP number system is provided and maintained by the Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP).
