phrase · also: nose coverage
prior acts
In plain English
Coverage for claims arising from work performed before your current claims-made policy started, going back to a specified retroactive date.
When you renew or switch carriers, prior-acts coverage is what keeps your past work covered. Losing it (lapse, retro-date reset) means everything you did before is now uncovered if a claim shows up.
What it covers
Acts, errors, or omissions that occurred between the retroactive date and the policy inception, when a claim is made during the current policy period.
What it does not cover
It is NOT 'tail coverage.' Prior acts is forward-looking (covers old work going forward); tail is backward-looking (covers claims after the policy ends).
Where it trips people up
A new carrier offering 'full prior acts' is matching your old retro date. A new carrier with a new retro date wipes out your prior acts coverage at switching — equivalent to going bare for those years.
The technical version
Coverage under a claims-made policy for wrongful acts that occurred prior to the policy inception, between the retroactive date and the policy effective date.