A new analysis by Sandler ONeill underscores how critical the sheer size of financial institutions has become to their surviving and thriving. Yet top performing credit unions are being held back by a systemic lack of accountability.

Robert Taylor was so impressed with the core processing system at the smaller credit union his Idaho State University Federal Credit Union was merging that the CEO is not only keeping that platform around, hes buying a piece of the company.

In one corner there is Plano, Texas-based Catalyst Corporate. In the other there is Dallas-based IP Navigation, a firm that specializes in patent monetization. There also was a letter, sent by IP Nav to Catalyst. And then Catalyst responded with a suit filed in the US District Court in the...