What Is a Customer Information File (CIF)?
A customer information file (CIF) in banking is an electronic file that stores an individual's personal and account data. Each file contains an 11-digit CIF number, which allows the business to view customer accounts by relationship and not strictly by account type.
CIFs have been traditionally associated with the banking industry but many types of businesses now use CIFs to understand their customers better, individually and collectively.
A CIF general includes name and contact information, accounts owned, and inquiries for products or services made by the customer.
Key Takeaways
- A bank CIF contains information such as account addresses and phone numbers, account numbers, types of accounts opened, and current creditors.
- An online retailer's CIF is based on the individual customer's online product searches and purchases.
- Like retailers, banks collect data such as search activity from their online customers. The information is collated for use in targeted marketing campaigns.
How a Customer Information File (CIF) Works
The CIF for bank records such information as a customer's contact information, account balances and transactions, and the types of accounts held. It may be updated as often as daily to ensure accuracy and is used in various service and administrative functions.
A CIF provides the business with a summary of all of the activities associated with a particular customer. In modern times, it is held in an electronic format identified by its CIF number.
What Information Do Banks Collect About Their Customers?
The basic function of the CIF is to serve as a log of the customer's banking history. But that's not its only purpose.
Bank CIFs record the various credit products such as business loans and credit cards that are currently in use by a customer. The CIF may also display information regarding previous inquiries, for use in targeted marketing of additional products to existing customers.
Online Data Collection
Banks, like all companies that do business on the web, collect and collate information about their customers in a file that does not identify them as individuals.
Based on their online activities and purchases, an individual could wind up in a target group of female professionals who frequently buy athletic wear, or fishing enthusiasts who like high-end gear.
Similarly, when customers access their online or mobile accounts the bank may collect information on their browsing and social media activities for marketing purposes. A customer who has been browsing CD rates lately is likely to see a bank's ad for its rates in the near future.
Other information, like the type of mobile device used and its network address, is collected as part of the bank's security measures. This is why you'll get an alert when you try to sign on from a different device than the one you usually use.
CIF and Data Security
Like any business that records personal customer information, banks are required to disclose how they collect data and how the data will be used. They also are required to take certain minimum steps to protect the data from accidental or deliberate exposure by unauthorized parties.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates how data is to be secured in the U.S. The agency also provides help for companies in keeping data secure and ensuring that data is disposed of properly. All companies that store customer data, not just banks, are subject to its privacy rules.
Special Considerations
The data in a customer information file (CIF) are often used for marketing purposes. For example, a CIF with an online retailer might include information on the person's previous web searches, previously viewed products, and purchases. Web search and browsing behavior help online companies select other products that might interest the customer.
Service providers also maintain CIFs for future marketing purposes. This can include reminder notices to a consumer about services the consumer uses periodically, such as vehicle maintenance or landscaping services.
Example of a Customer Information File
A CIF often contains personally identifiable information (PII). This includes the customer’s name, address, and phone number for the purposes of fulfilling purchases.
A CIF can also include the person's birth date and Social Security number, although this is required primarily in circ*mstances in which credit is involved.
How Can I Be Sure My CIF Is Safe?
The Federal Trade Commission sets the standards for financial institutions that collect information on their customers. It requires businesses to maintain "reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customer information."
What Do Online Retailers Store in a CIF?
An online retailer can record your every keystroke in a CIF, and they're not just being nosy.
Amazon, for example, collects information as you browse in order to fine-tune the "recommendation engine" it uses to deliver search results that are most likely to meet your preferences. Over time, it builds up a pretty clear picture of who you are and places you into a niche group of people with similar demographics. When Amazon shows you a message that "other people bought" an item, those other people are in your niche group.
Do Banks Keep Paper Files These Days?
Banks rely heavily on electronic records these days, but they keep a paper backup as well.
A CIF paper folder is used to store relevant documents such as the signature cards that are signed during the account opening process.
The Bottom Line
When you call a bank or walk into one to talk business, the first thing the customer representative will do is check your customer information file to get a quick overview of your past and current relationship with that bank.
If you've never done business with that bank, your CIF will be created on the spot.
The CIF contains critical information that is used to identify you and to keep a running record of your interactions with the bank.
