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The pilfering hand spell, in one of its usage cases, calls for a combat maneuver check:
Abrupt Maneuver: You instantaneously attempt a disarm or steal combat maneuver against a target within range. Use your caster level as your Combat Maneuver Bonus, adding your Charisma modifier (bard, oracle, sorcerer), Intelligence modifier (magus, wizard), or Wisdom modifier (cleric) in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
Does this mean that feats like Improved Steal don't contribute to the calculation of CMB for the steal maneuver? I ask this because the spell seems to provide a complete formula for calculating CMB: caster level plus spellcasting attribute modifier. Compare with, e.g., the strangling hair spell:
Make a grapple check against the target using your caster level as the base attack bonus plus a bonus equal to your Intelligence bonus (if a witch or wizard) or Charisma bonus (if a sorcerer).
In this case, one's caster level only stands in for BAB when calculating CMB. Is the difference intended to be a meaningful one in that I should apply non-attribute bonuses to combat maneuvers in the case of strangling hair but not pilfering hand?
I don't think it's a meaningful difference. If your spellcaster invested in Improved Steal (especially with that feat tax), I wouldn't have a problem giving him the benefits on a spell.
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I have seen precedence that supports your theory that you can stack Class effects with feats and spell effects that have the same word triggers in it:
For example "Make a XXX attempt..." ability would benefit from improved XXX and greater improved XXX feats (where XXX could be disarm, steal, trip, sunder, bullrush, overrun, etc.; provided the feat exist and is owned).
Similarly spells that allow you to make an "attempt" would also benefit from feats and magic items that that improve your chances of success.