Tax Guard and Casca partner to bring IRS-verified tax data into AI-powered lending — helping lenders reduce fraud, cut manual work, and make faster, more confident decisions.

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.

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.

“There will be lending that will stop through the SBA,” says Hansen Rada, the co-founder and CEO of Tax Guard, which provides real-time tax data to lenders. “But I think the greatest impact will be a long tail, which is the IRS then having to catch up during tax season.”

Here are five trends small business owners in Colorado and across the country should watch, according to industry experts.

Tax Guard, a Cogency Global Company and the first provider of real-time IRS tax data services, is announcing it has entered a partnership with San Diego-based Ventures Lending Technologies, a premier end-to-end lending software for banks and mission-based lenders.

Cogency Global, Inc. global provider of corporate compliance and transactional legal support services, announced today that it has acquired Colorado-based Tax Guard, LLC., a leading tax risk due diligence and monitoring services provider, from Falfurrias Capital Partners. 

Private equity firm joins with co-founder/CEO Hansen Rada and team to drive growth Falfurrias expands investment in technology solutions for financial services industry Tax Guard protects lenders with real-time insights …

Tax Guard, a due diligence and risk management service for lenders, is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Type II Service and Organization Control (SOC) 2 examination. The …