American Family Insurance Big Insurance Company using non-risk related credit scores to charge higher premiums Madison Wisconsin

Unless I'm misunderstanding this definition, I belive it to be true. and that is  the defintion of extortion extortion noun

1. an act or instance of extorting.
2. Law . the crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.
3. oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price or interest: the extortions of usurers.
4. anything extorted.

So if someone falls on hard times and there credit score drops and because of this you increase my premiums, that is not extortion?

According to your report, the company abided by Missouri rules and notified you before using your credit score to determine your premium.

You said, "it seems odd they are not required to get our permission to access our credit histories."

They did not access your credit history. They merely ordered a FICO score, which is just a number based on your credit information that is compiled by a third party.

"That one is late on a credit card balance or school loan does not correlate with risk in driving an automobile."

You'd be wrong there. The main reason that insurers access your credit score is that there is a significant actuarial link between a person's credit history and the liklihood that they will be involved in a claim payout. Insurance is based entirely on statistics. While you personally may not be more likely to file a claim, a significant percentage of the folks that share your credit rating are more likely to file a claim. This is common in all types of insurance. Things that you personally cannot control, such your age, your neighbor's driving habits, your local crime rate all go into determining the rate you will ultimately pay. The credit score is just one more bit of info that goes into the actuarial bucket.