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Professional indemnity explained
Leaving a mutual insurer is ending your membership of an insurer owned by its members, which stops new cover but may not end liability for past policy years. It matters because calls, claims and run-off can follow you.
Part of: Architects' PI insurance
In short
Leaving a mutual stops new policy years, but your obligations for past years depend on the mutual's rules. Many mutuals link member liability to the policy years you took part in, so supplementary calls on open years may still apply unless a release call has been paid or the rules say otherwise. A mutual in solvent run-off, like the Wren, still handles claims made during its policy years. Run-off cover for a closing practice is a separate thing. Ask the managers in writing what remains, and keep full records.
When you leave a mutual, or the mutual stops writing business, you stop receiving new policy years. What happens to the policy years you were already part of depends on the mutual's own rules, articles and terms of entry. In some mutuals a former member can still be asked to contribute to a policy year that remains open; in others that exposure can be ended by paying a release call, or is limited by the rules. There is no single answer for every mutual, so the starting point is always the mutual's own documents.
The Wren is a useful worked example. Its board decided "not to offer renewal terms from 1 July 2026" and the association is carrying out a solvent exit, "meeting its liabilities including all claims when they fall due" (Wren press statement). Its status page confirms it is now in solvent run-off. For the practical side of moving on, see our guide for former Wren members and what to do when an insurer or mutual stops covering your profession.
A mutual is owned by its members. Instead of a fixed premium, members commonly pay calls set by the directors, and the mutual's rules decide whether more can be asked for later. The terms below are general; exact meanings vary between mutuals.
| Term | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Call (or advance call) | The main contribution for a policy year, broadly equivalent to a premium. |
| Supplementary call | An additional contribution for a policy year when claims and costs exceed what was collected. |
| Release call | A payment that, where the rules allow it, releases a leaving member from further calls on open policy years. |
| Return of call | A refund to members where a year turns out better than expected. |
| Open year | A policy year that has not yet been closed, so its final cost is still uncertain. |
For the Wren, the solvency and financial condition report to 30 June 2024 says "the liability of its Members is limited to the calls and premiums set by its Directors", and lists "release calls" among matters reserved for the board. Its 2021 Report and Accounts says members "remain liable for their rateable proportions of any excess of claims and expenses over income" for open policy years. The Wren has also confirmed that calls were increased and that it made a Supplementary Call in March 2025, citing post-Grenfell cladding and fire-risk claims.
It depends on the rules, and we have not seen any Wren statement that answers this directly for former members. The wording quoted above links liability to policy years, which suggests any exposure would follow the years a practice was in, unless the rules provide otherwise or a release call has been agreed and paid. That is a reading of the published wording, not a ruling.
If you are a former member of any mutual, ask the managers in writing:
The Wren's management services are provided by Tindall Riley & Co Limited, trading as Wren Managers (Tindall Riley), so questions about your entry go to them.
"Run-off" is used in two separate ways, and mixing them up causes confusion.
A mutual in solvent run-off stops writing new business but continues to manage existing liabilities. For the Wren, the status page says it still handles claims "made against your firm during a Wren Policy Year", and former members should quote the Wren Claim Reference for the notified claim or circumstance. Because the Wren wrote cover on a claims-made basis, claims first made after your last Wren year will usually fall to the policy in force when the claim is made, subject to its retroactive date and exclusions. See claims on past projects after leaving the Wren.
Run-off cover protects a practice that has ceased trading, merged or retired. Mutuals can offer this as a membership category: the Wren SFCR noted that of 74 members at the time, one had run-off cover only. ARB guidance says architects should maintain a minimum of six years' run-off cover, or five years if practising in Scotland. If your practice is closing or being sold, see PI on practice merger or sale and run-off when a business closes.
Former members of any mutual should keep a complete file, because questions about old years can arise long after leaving:
Your finance team may also want advice from your accountant on how any potential call liability should be treated in your own accounts.
A practice leaves a mutual and assumes its obligations ended on the last day of cover. Two years later a call notice arrives for a policy year that is still open. Because it kept no copy of the rules, it has to ask the managers to explain the basis before it can respond.
Another practice asks the managers in writing, before leaving, which years remain open and whether a release call is available. It records the answer, passes it to its finance director and keeps a register of open notifications to hand to its new commercial insurer.
Apex arranges architects' and other professional PI in the commercial market; a broker reads every enquiry. For the renewal itself, see your 2027 open-market renewal timetable and the architects' PI insurance guide.
Possibly, depending on its rules. Many mutuals link member liability to the policy years you took part in, so a supplementary call on an open year could still apply after you leave, unless the rules say otherwise or a release call has been paid. Check your terms of entry and the rules, and ask the managers in writing what obligations remain.
A release call is a payment some mutuals allow a leaving member to make so that they are released from further calls on policy years that remain open. Whether one is available, how it is calculated and what it covers depend on the mutual's rules and the directors. The Wren lists release calls among matters reserved for its board.
Yes, for claims made during a Wren policy year. The Wren status page says it continues to handle claims made against a firm during a Wren policy year, and asks former members to quote the Wren Claim Reference for the notified claim or circumstance. Claims first made later usually fall to the commercial policy then in force.
No. Solvent run-off describes the mutual itself: it stops writing new business but keeps paying claims and managing liabilities. Run-off cover is insurance a practice buys when it stops trading, merges or retires, to protect against claims about past work. ARB guidance expects architects to keep at least six years of run-off cover, or five in Scotland.
Keep the rules and certificates of entry for each year, every call notice and payment record, any release call correspondence, all claim and circumstance notifications with reference numbers, and the managers' contact details. These records help answer later questions about open years and help your new insurer understand what has already been notified.
Send us your current schedule and wording, your last Wren policy documents and your project list. We will check continuity for claims on past projects, fire safety terms and your contract obligations ahead of your first open-market renewal. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Book a PI programme review Get a quoteApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
