CUSIP number stands for Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures number, and is a nine-digit code that uniquely identifies an individual financial instrument (e.g., a stock, a bond, a certificate of deposit).
The first six characters of each CUSIP number are unique for every company or issuer – for example, the first six digits for each issue of the state’s general obligation debt are 880541. The seventh and eight digits denote the type of security, debt or equity, and the ninth digit is a check figure based on the previous eight characters.