An insurance agent will need drivers license numbers and social security numbers to be able to get you an accurate rate quote. The drivers license number to get a copy of your MVR (driving record) and the social security number to order a CLUE report -
https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/fact_act_auto_claims/sample.jsp and insurance score -
https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/lexisnexis_attract_auto_score/sample.jsp . The CLUE report will detail all insurance claims in the recent past (about five years), number of drivers in the household, ages of drivers, etc and the insurance score will be like a credit score but with factors the insurance companies feel help them select a better customer. The higher the score, the more they like you and the better the rate quote.
In the old days, an insurance underwriter would base their judgement on risk selection on the age of the drivers, cars insured, address of insured, liens, driving record, the agent submitting the business and also the form of payment. If the agent sent an agency check then that meant the agent trusted the customer, a personal check was okay also. A money order was a sign that the customer didn't have a bank account and was not financially responsible (a primitive form of credit scoring).
Nowadays, everything is black-box underwriting, with very little human input or discretion. The companies underwrite with many many more factors down to your zip code, auto rating symbol (factors in cost of repairs, cost new, engine size, etc.) driving record, insurance score and many other factors they deem relevant. The larger companies are way more sophisticated than the smaller regional companies and much less likely to have a conversation with their agent if they have a question about the application.
All the discussion about which company has the best rates are really pointless unless you live in the same zip code with a similar home, car, driving record, insurance score, etc. to the next person commenting. It really is that different these days.
