NB - I was contemplating a similar idea, but you beat me to the punch and, well, I can admit you did a better job of presenting your idea than I would have done. So you win by default, without even knowing there was a match on!
The distribution of BaseStakes per Rank is just an example. You could also do something like:
Jr. Members: 2 Stakes
Members: 5 Stakes
Full Members: 10 Stakes
Sr. Members: 20 Stakes
Hero/Legendary: 30 Stakes
Taken from a campaign that is running right now. It's only to illustrate the way Rank & Merit can go hand in hand when it comes to the calculation of stakes.
I'm looking for an easy way to incorporate the use of Merit while no completely changing the way campaigns work as it's not that easy to change things that are established. Another reason is that the current system is the reference for bounty managers, meaning if you change it too drastically they have no data to rely on and it's harder for them to plan the campaign.
If your idea is similar, maybe they complement each other as mine is just a suggestion and I don't know if it works until someone tries it