The most recent episode of This American Life provided a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the New York Federal Reserve.
Here is a description of the podcast from the TAL website:
An unprecedented look inside one of the most powerful, secretive institutions in the country. The NY Federal Reserve is supposed to monitor big banks. But when Carmen Segarra was hired, what she witnessed inside the Fed was so alarming that she got a tiny recorder and started secretly taping. ProPublica’s print version.