Thanks Huckster, my thoughts were that if it potentially affect credit ratings then it should be plainly clear and not hidden in the t&cs and privacy policies.

These quotation searches should only be visible to you and do not affect credit rating. The Insurers don't see any of the details as it purely a very basic check to check identity and general credit worthiness. The Insurers internet quote engine can base the decision whether to offer monthly payment by Direct Debit on the information and it can also affect the premium you pay.

The credit searches should be mentioned within the t&c's of the comparison site and the Insurers internet site.

I recently enquired about car insurance through an online car insurance comparison site. The quotes came back with some great results.

The following day I was checking my credit report and found 4 of the companies who quoted ran a credit search on me. The Privacy Policy of the site concerned states that some companies may do this and that they are registered as general insurance searches. Two were, the other two were registered as 'unrecorded enquiry'.

I have two gripes here, firstly, although its in their privacy policy, the site doesn't make it clear that companies quoting may run a credit check on you. Secondly, shopping around will add a plethora of searches to your credit report which if not registered as a quotation, may have a negative effect on one's credit score.

Surely just to give you a quote, insurance companies don't need to run a search?

Can anyone advise if multiple records of 'unrecorded enquiries' will actually affect a person's credit score?