auto insurance without credit check

How much or what kind information does a company/business need to do a credit check on someone?

I recently was “shopping” for new auto and home insurance. I asked one company for a quote on my home, so the sales rep had my name and address. He asked for my birthdate, so that he could see if I qualified for any “special” reductions. I gave him only the year. Several days later I noted that the company had run a credit check on me, without having been given my SSN or a commitment to buy insurance. How? I did go with another company, but am curious – can just anyone run a credit check on anyone else? Disturbing in this day and age.

No one is supposed to pull your credit report without specifically asking your permission, but it is really quite easy to do. Anyone with your name and address and an account with the reporting agency can probably find your report. If you did not give your permission and you think this might affect your credit (it probably won’t), you can dispute it and have it removed. At the very least, the reporting agency should then notify the company to quit doing that.