On The Federal News Network’s The Federal Drive, our own Dave Bohrman sat down with Terry Gerton to discuss what the shutdown meant at both the IRS and SBA, why IRS data is critical for the lending process, and what lies ahead for small businesses and lenders.

The IRS is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades — and lenders are feeling the impact. From AI-driven fraud detection to targeted audits and modernization slowdowns, here are five key IRS shifts reshaping lending risk and what they mean for your portfolio.

Tax Guard, a Cogency Global company and the first provider of real-time IRS tax data services, has partnered with SPARK, a faster, simpler loan origination platform for the digital age.

As AI becomes more advanced, so do fraudsters’ tactics. In this MarketWatch piece, Tax Guard CEO Hansen Rada explores how generative AI is transforming fraud prevention — and why human oversight and verified data are still the strongest defense against financial scams.

SBA lending surged 20% in 2025, hitting a record $37.3 billion. Major players like Live Oak and U.S. Bank credit resilient small business demand and strong borrower confidence for the boom. “People that have the capital structure and the sales infrastructure to do that will continue to grow in this environment,” – Pieter Leenhouts

With the federal government shutdown halting new SBA loan approvals, small businesses are feeling the strain. Lenders, including insights from Tax Guard’s VP of Sales, Pieter Leenhouts, explain how they’re preparing to move fast once operations resume.

A lender’s guide to navigating the most common IRS tax forms requested on the Form 8821.

In the first 200 days of Trump’s second term, the IRS has faced leadership turnover, budget cuts, and staffing reductions. Read more for our 5 takeaways from 2025 so far.

Meet Rachel Libowitz, the Senior Tax Advisor in our Resolutions department. She helps lenders evaluate funding risks and works with taxpayers to resolve IRS liabilities.

Early SBA loan defaults are on the rise. See what lenders need to know about new 7(a) reforms and how they impact underwriting and risk management.

The probationary employees were going to bring “younger, new people into the organization that hopefully would have a longer shelf life or career,” said Hansen Rada, CEO of Tax Guard, a provider of IRS tax data services.

“I’ve seen numbers of 20%, I’ve seen numbers of 30%, I’ve seen numbers of 50%,” said Tax Guard CEO Hansen Rada. “It’s really difficult to tell what is true, and I don’t think anybody knows, because the proposal has been private, so there is definitely a giant question mark as to how strong the IRS will be going forward.”