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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 0-50179

ACCREDITED HOME LENDERS HOLDING CO.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

15030 Avenue of Science, Suite 100

San Diego, California 92128

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 858-676-2100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, $.001 Par Value

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  ¨ or No  x

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes  ¨ or No  x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by nonaffiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2002 was $21,086,400. This number is based on the total shares of common stock outstanding, on an as-converted basis, less all shares held by executive officers, directors and 10% stockholders, multiplied by $8. $8 was the minimum price at which we anticipated selling shares in our then-pending initial public offering.

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock as of March 18, 2003 was 19,221,919.

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

No documents are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain forward-looking statements. When used in this report, statements which are not historical in nature, including the words “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. They also include statements containing a projection of revenues, earnings or losses, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure or other financial terms.

The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon our management’s beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future operations and economic performance, taking into account the information currently available to it. These statements are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are not currently known to us, that may cause our actual results, performance or financial condition to be materially different from the expectations of future results, performance or financial condition we express or imply in any forward-looking statements. Some of the important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or financial condition to differ materially from expectations are:

We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this report might not occur. We qualify any and all of our forward-looking statements entirely by these cautionary factors.

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In this Form 10-K, unless the context requires otherwise, “Accredited,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” means Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. and its subsidiary.

PART I

General Development of Our Business

We formed Accredited Home Lenders, Inc. as a California corporation in May 1990 under the name Preferred Home Lenders, Inc. We changed our name to MSK Financial Services, Inc. in July 1990, and to Accredited Home Lenders, Inc. in October 1995. In February 2003 we reorganized our company such that Accredited Home Lenders, Inc. became a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co., a new Delaware holding company. Shortly after the reorganization, Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. completed its initial public offering and became listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “LEND.”

Investors wishing to obtain more information about Accredited may access our registration statement on Form S-1, as amended, and other documents filed with the SEC. Investors can read and copy any information we have filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549. You can obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us. We also maintain an Internet site (www.accredhome.com) that allows access to documents, including a link to access our Form 10-Ks, 10-Qs, 8-Ks and other documents filed with the SEC, that are available to you free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Description of Our Business

We are a nationwide mortgage banking company that originates, finances, sells, securitizes and services subprime mortgage loans secured by single-family residences. We focus on borrowers who do not meet conforming underwriting guidelines because of higher loan-to-value ratios, the nature or absence of income documentation, limited credit histories, high levels of consumer debt, or past credit difficulties. We originate loans primarily based upon the borrower’s willingness and ability to repay the loan and the adequacy of the collateral. Our experienced management team has developed incentive programs, technology tools and business processes that focus our employees on originating subprime mortgage loans with the financial and other characteristics that generate profits for us. We believe that this business approach has contributed to our disciplined growth in both origination volume and profits.

As of December 31, 2002, we had a network of over 4,500 approved and licensed independent brokers throughout the country. In 2002, 90.6% of our loan originations were originated through approximately 4,000 brokers. Prior to funding, each loan we originate is underwritten by our employees to confirm that the loan is priced commensurate with its risk as determined in accordance with our underwriting guidelines. We finance the origination of our loans under one of six secured warehouse facilities. As of March 21, 2003, these facilities provided us with approximately $1.4 billion of credit capacity.

We conduct an analysis to find and select the most profitable disposition strategy for each loan. We have primarily disposed of our loans in whole loan sales and to a lesser extent in securitizations and loan sales with retained interests. We have begun using structures that require financing treatment rather than sale treatment for our securitizations. On all of the loans that we securitize or sell with retained interests, we retain the rights to service the loans.

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We have developed incentive programs, technology tools and business processes that reward performance and that we believe result in the optimal balance among these competing factors that are described below. Our incentive programs compensate our employees based upon one or more of these factors. Our technology tools, such as our Revenue Calculator and our profit and loss tools, provide the real-time information that an employee needs to maximize the employee’s compensation and simultaneously meet our overall loan quality and profitability goals. Our business processes incorporate cross-departmental review and feedback that are designed to assist each department in maximizing the quality and profitability of each loan originated. We have developed our incentive programs, technology tools and business processes over time, and we are constantly reviewing and updating them to meet our evolving needs. We believe that this business approach has contributed to our disciplined growth in both origination volume and profits.

Our Incentive Program

One of our most distinguishing characteristics is that our incentive structure rewards employees throughout our company based upon the criteria that best align each individual’s compensation with our overall objectives.

We believe our incentive programs enhance our performance by aligning each employee’s compensation and each job function with our overall profitability objectives.

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Our Technology and Management Tools

Our technology department, in collaboration with our operations department, finance department and business intelligence department, has developed customized versions of commercially available software. Our suite of technology tools enables us to effectively achieve the goals that we have established for our employees individually and for our company as a whole. The principal technology tools that are integral to this effort are:

We have designed these tools to enhance our compliance with laws, including laws regarding unfair loans or “predatory” lending. For example, our Revenue Calculator contains controls that are designed to eliminate economic incentives to our employees for structuring loans that are unfair to the borrower. As loan features are changed to increase the cost of the loan to the borrower, the impact of the changes on the value given to the loan by the Revenue Calculator decreases and in some cases is capped. This has the effect of discouraging our employees from originating loans that might be characterized as unfair or predatory. In addition, we have established across-the-board limits on the total fees payable by the borrower to us and our independent brokers. We have incorporated these limits into LOIS. Accordingly, each member of the origination team is focused on originating loans that we believe are fair relative to the risk we assume and the benefit we seek to provide to our borrowers. We endeavor to input the laws, rules and regulations into our technology tools, thereby substantially reducing human error as a source of non-compliance. In addition, our loan underwriters are required to make a determination that each loan we originate is beneficial to the borrower.

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Our Business Processes—Teamwork And Checks And Balances

We have two principal components to our business. We originate and underwrite loans and we sell or, to a lesser extent, securitize our loans. We have an integrated approach to these activities that encourages teamwork and the sharing of information across divisions. Our approach also promotes slightly different goals for different divisions that results in meaningful, real-time, everyday checks and balances throughout our organizational structure.

Sharing information among our divisions gives each team the information it needs to optimize its performance. For example, our credit committee determines our underwriting guidelines and is composed of the Director of Capital Markets (who is responsible for loan disposition), the Director of Operations (who is responsible for underwriting and servicing), and the President and Chief Operating Officer (who is responsible for, among other things, loan production). Others invited to make contributions to these policies include the Director of Underwriting, the manager of the inventory control unit (which deals with problem loans), and the manager of quality control. Our secondary marketing committee includes the participants in the credit committee, as well as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer, to ensure that balance sheet considerations, secondary market considerations, loan performance objectives and marketing matters are all taken into account. These committees share information to optimize decisions, but the decisions are still made by functional managers.

Each division manager has access to division and team-level information from all other divisions. In addition to the incentives we provide to each division manager to achieve division-level profit objectives, the sharing of information also motivates each division to maximize its own profit compared to that of other divisions within the framework of our company’s overall goals.

We have structured our incentive system to emphasize both the importance of each division individually and also cross-division cooperation. Our account executives and loan officers are rewarded based upon originating profitable loans and our underwriting teams are rewarded based upon producing quality loans. For example, origination team personnel can process and present loans, but if the loans do not meet the quality standards of the corporate underwriting teams or the profit objectives of the origination team and division, the loans either will not be approved or will not create bonuses or commissions.

These checks and balances have been built into our origination and underwriting processes and are bolstered by our incentive programs and technology tools. Our loan officers and account executives work closely with our underwriting group to ensure that the loan applications that they originate meet the quality standards necessary to make it through the underwriting and funding process. The first step is a comprehensive underwriting by the origination team supporting our account executives and loan officers. Then, before the loan documents can be printed, the loan is reviewed and audited by a corporate underwriter. When the team has gathered any required conditions (sometimes called stipulations), loan documents are reviewed by the documents and funding team or a corporate underwriter before funding. After funding the loan documents are reviewed by our documents and funding teams again to ensure accuracy, to make corrections to the documents if necessary and to reflect any changes that may have been made by the closing agent.

We use our Revenue Calculator at various stages to determine the potential value of the loan, particularly if any of the loan’s attributes have changed. While the Revenue Calculator assigns a prospective value for a loan, the loan is still underwritten by each team and reviewed by one of our corporate underwriters to assure that the information in the Revenue Calculator is accurate and represents a correct value assessment of the loan. Accordingly, the interest rate and maximum loan amount are determined based upon our underwriting and quality standards, risk assessment, the benefit to the borrower, and our Revenue Calculator’s prediction of the value of each loan. Our profit and loss tools promptly allocate both profits from performing loans as well as prospective losses from problem loans to the team that originated them. This allocation affects the personal compensation of our loan origination staff.

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We believe that our commitment to originating high-quality loans strengthens our relationships with warehouse line providers, whole loan purchasers, rating agencies and others with whom we do business.

Mortgage Loan Origination

We have been originating subprime mortgage loans as a broker since 1990 and have been funding such loans since 1993. We originated a total of $4.3 billion of mortgage loans in 2002. We originate loans on a nationwide basis. In 2002, 90.6% of our loan originations were originated through approximately 4,000 brokers. As of December 31, 2002, we had a network of over 4,500 approved and licensed independent brokers throughout the country working with over 240 account executives in our seven wholesale divisions. In 2001 and 2002, our top ten brokers represented in the aggregate less than 6% of our total loan origination volume. As of December 31, 2002, our retail channel originated mortgages through our 147 loan officers working in our 19 retail branches and generated leads primarily through telemarketing, direct mail and the Internet.

The following table summarizes information regarding our total loan originations:

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Wholesale Channel

Our wholesale channel originates subprime mortgage loans through relationships with businesses that broker mortgage loans, including small mortgage bankers, local banks and businesses that only broker mortgage loans. We provide a variety of mortgage products to help these brokers provide better service to their borrowers. These brokers rely upon our account executives and our regional processing teams whom we believe provide consistently superior customer service.

The mortgage brokers we work with identify borrowers and help them complete loan applications and obtain necessary documentation. They act as our liaison with the borrower during the lending process. Our regional processing teams underwrite each application and determine the interest rate and other loan terms for acceptable applications. The regional processing team, following corporate underwriting approval, funds the loan with the help of one of our divisional documents and funding teams upon acceptance by the borrower and satisfaction of all conditions to the loan. By relying upon brokers to market our products and to assist the borrower throughout the loan application process, we can increase loan volume through the wholesale channel without increasing marketing, labor and other overhead costs associated with attracting new borrowers to the same extent as those we incur in connection with our retail loan production.

New brokers enter our wholesale network from various sources, although our account executives are the main sources for new brokers. A broker must provide business references, a current copy of the license under which the broker operates, a W-9 form and an executed mortgage originator agreement. Our broker administration unit screens brokers, prevents loans from proceeding in LOIS for brokers whose licenses have expired, and prevents loans from funding if the broker has been disapproved.

Mortgage brokers receive compensation in the form of points and fees paid by borrowers, yield spread premium paid by the lender, or a combination of these items. The loan programs we offer brokers are comparable to those offered by our competitors; however, we believe we compete for brokers primarily based upon the quality of the service we provide, particularly those with whom we cultivate key account relationships. We guarantee turn-around times, we offer coherent, presentable approvals, we offer personal contact and we offer a comprehensive menu of products for our customers, and we endeavor to make it easier to do business with us than with our competitors. In exchange, we minimize yield spread premium to mortgage brokers, we avoid unwarranted credit exceptions, and we charge for the risk we take. We believe that our focus on quality service and reliability will enable us to increase our loan originations.

We believe that one of the keys to our success is exceeding the expectations of our customers, whom we view as both brokers and borrowers for our wholesale operations. Accordingly, we are focused on improving our responsiveness to our customers. We intend to continue to:

We have been able to increase the profitability of our wholesale channel with several successful initiatives. We have:

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Significant in this effort has been the effective implementation of our technology tools, specifically our Revenue Calculator, our profit and loss tools, LOIS and our underwriting software tools.

Retail Channel

Historically, less than 10% of our loan originations has been originated through our retail channel. Our retail channel originates mortgage loans through two different divisions: Axiom Financial Services and Home Funds Direct. As of December 31, 2002, our Axiom Financial Services division originates subprime mortgage loans through Axiom’s 17 branch offices, located predominantly in California and other western states.

Our Axiom loan officers interact with borrowers in Axiom’s branch locations, primarily through telemarketing, direct mail and Internet solicitations. Axiom loan officers are also encouraged to develop some personal loan referral sources. The proximity of the branch offices to certain of our prospective borrowers is helpful in closing the loans. As part of our efforts to manage the credit risk of loans originated in our Axiom offices, all loan underwriting, closing, funding and shipping are done centrally out of Axiom’s divisional headquarters located in Anaheim, California. A typical Axiom branch consists of approximately seven employees, including a branch manager, five loan officers and one loan processor.

We also originate loans through our centralized retail division, Home Funds Direct, which as of December 31, 2002 has offices in Sacramento, California; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home Funds Direct is a centralized retail division, with little expectation that there will be face-to-face contact with the borrower. The marketing concept is for loan officers in our centralized retail branches to use telemarketing and direct mail to reach prospective borrowers in target markets. These locations have a larger group of experienced personnel, and have the ability to fully process and underwrite loans, subject to our corporate underwriting oversight policies.

Correspondent Channel—Loans Purchased From Others

Although we periodically purchase loans funded by other parties, we have made minimal purchases in recent years as we have found our wholesale and retail channels to be more profitable. However, we maintain the capability so that when attractive individual loans, small pools of loans, or other unique opportunities are presented, we can evaluate and close transactions.

Our Underwriting Process and Guidelines

Each mortgage loan that we originate is underwritten prior to loan closing in accordance with our underwriting guidelines. We have developed underwriting processes and criteria that we believe generate high-quality subprime loans. Our underwriting guidelines are designed to help us evaluate a borrower’s credit history, his or her capacity, willingness and ability to repay the loan, and the value and adequacy of the collateral. In addition, we review credit scores derived from the application from one or more nationally recognized credit scoring models. Our underwriting philosophy is to analyze the overall situation of the borrower and to take into account compensating factors that may be used to offset certain areas of weakness, including employment stability, number of years at residence and disposable income. Based upon this analysis and the information derived from the Revenue Calculator, we determine loan terms and conditions to produce loans that are appropriately-priced and sized, meet our quality standards, and are profitable. In addition, our underwriters must determine that a benefit exists to the borrower for each loan that we originate. Our underwriting process and guidelines require a rigorous application review and documentation designed to maximize the value of our mortgage loans. On average, it takes us 21 days from the day we first receive the application until we fund the loan.

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Our Underwriting Personnel.    All of our loan underwriting is performed by our underwriting personnel and we do not delegate underwriting authority to any broker or third party. Each loan origination team underwrites our loans subject to the final approval of our corporate underwriters. In addition to the daily supervision of all underwriting decisions, these corporate underwriters conduct regular training sessions on emerging trends in production, as well as provide feedback to the loan origination teams from the monthly problem loan reports. Each corporate underwriting manager reports, not through the loan origination organization, but to the Director of Underwriting, who in turn reports to the Director of Operations. Our corporate underwriters generally have been with us for more than five years and have a minimum of ten years of industry experience. Our Directors of Underwriting and Operations each have over 20 years of industry experience.

Our Underwriting Guidelines.    Our underwriting guidelines are established by our credit committee, which is composed of the Director of Capital Markets, the Director of Operations, and the President and Chief Operating Officer. Others invited to make contributions to these policies include the Director of Underwriting, the manager of the inventory control unit, and the manager of quality control. The credit committee meets regularly to review proposed changes to underwriting guidelines. To the extent that an individual loan application does not meet our published underwriting guidelines, our loan origination teams and underwriters can make underwriting exceptions. Such exceptions must be within our exception policies and any losses on these loans will be allocated back to the origination team by our profit and loss accountability system. Loan exceptions are tracked in our data warehouse and the performance of loans with and without exceptions is monitored. We may, from time to time, apply underwriting criteria that are either more stringent or more flexible depending upon the economic conditions of a particular geographic market.

Loan Applications and Credit Reports.    Each prospective borrower completes a mortgage loan application that includes information with respect to the applicant’s liabilities, income, credit history, employment history and personal information. At least one credit report on each applicant from an independent, nationally recognized credit reporting company is required. The credit report typically contains information relating to such matters as credit history with local and national merchants and lenders, installment debt payments and any record of defaults, bankruptcies, repossessions, or judgments.

Property Appraisals.    A full appraisal of the property proposed to be pledged as collateral for the loan is required in connection with the origination of each loan. Appraisals are performed by licensed, third-party, fee-based appraisers and include, among other things, an inspection of the exterior and interior of the subject property. Appraisals are also required to address neighborhood conditions, site and zoning status and the condition and value of improvements. Following each appraisal, the appraiser prepares a report which includes a reproduction costs analysis (when appropriate) based upon the current cost of constructing a similar home and market value analysis based upon recent sales of comparable homes in the area. Appraisals generally conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and must be on forms acceptable to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Every appraisal is reviewed by our appraisal review department, by one of our qualified underwriters before the mortgage loan is funded, or by a non-affiliated appraisal review firm. The appraisal may not be more than 180 days old on the day the loan is funded. In most instances, we require a second drive-by appraisal for loan sizes between $400,000 to $500,000 and a second full appraisal for loan sizes above $500,000 or for properties that have a value of more than $650,000.

Income and Assets Verification.    Our underwriting guidelines require verification or evaluation of the income of each applicant pursuant to our “Full Documentation,” “Lite Documentation” or “Stated Income” programs. Under each of these programs, we review the loan applicant’s source of income, calculate the amount of income from sources indicated on the loan application or similar documentation, and calculate debt service-to-income ratios to determine the applicant’s ability to repay the loan. Under the Full Documentation program, applicants are generally required to submit the last two pay stubs and written verification of income signed by the employer, Forms W-2 or 1040 and, in the case of self-employed applicants, Forms 1120 and profit and loss statements, in each case covering the preceding two years. Personal bank statements are acceptable as

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Full Documentation, with the preceding 24 months as “Alt2” documentation type or the preceding 12 months as “Alt1.” Under the Lite Documentation program, applicants are generally required to submit a year-to-date pay stub or personal bank statements and, in the case of self-employed applicants, profit and loss statements, in each case covering at least the preceding six months. Under the Stated Income program, applicants are evaluated based upon income as stated in the mortgage loan application. Under all programs, we may verify by telephone employment, business and income, and self-employed applicants may be required to submit a business license.

Verification of the source of funds (if any) required to be paid by the applicant at closing is generally required under all documentation programs in the form of a standard verification of deposit, two months’ consecutive bank statements or other acceptable documentation. Twelve months’ mortgage payment or rental history must be verified by the related lender or landlord.

Credit Classifications.    A critical function of our underwriting process is to identify the level of credit risk associated with each applicant for a mortgage loan. We have established five principal classifications, “A+” to “C,” with respect to the credit profile of potential borrowers, and we assign a rating to each loan based upon these classifications. We have a sixth, generally inactive credit classification, called “C-” which may be for a borrower with