The CIF Number and the Account Number are not the same thing. The acronym "CIF number" refers for "Customer Information File," which is a file that the bank uses to identify each individual customer. An account number is a unique identity for a Particular account (Eg: Savings or Current account. ) A single customer at a bank may hold more than one account there, such as a savings account and a current account. On the other hand, a single customer will only ever have one CIF number.