Nowadays, well, things have changed.
In recent months, the Fed has extended its responsibilities as a bank regulator to the fight against climate change. Where once the Fed used its power over interest rates to control inflation and keep borrowing costs low, it now is taking on the role of making sure job gains are spread equally among income, racial and gender groups.
If this doesn't sound like your parents' Fed, or even legendary former Chairman Paul Volcker's, you're not alone.
Wall Street increasingly has noticed the central bank's expansion of its mandate, and some are none too happy about it.