“This bank has no tellers,” the Brampton Guardian proclaimed in its headline. British company Chubb-Mosler and affiliate Taylor Safes hosted the world première of their IDA cash dispenser at their Brampton offices in February 1968.

The IDA — “identifying, dispensing and accounting” — was relatively cutting-edge, as the world’s first cash machine had only debuted in June 1967 in Enfield Town, in north London, England.

“The dispenser could be in any location — apartment lobbies, shopping centres — anywhere where a 24-hour withdrawal service would be of value to bank customers,” wrote reporter Bob Douglas.

On opening an IDA account with the bank, “a bank customer receives two keys, one of them coded, and a six-digit combination of letters and numbers. This coded number is seen only by the customer. At the same time, the coded key, while being inserted by an enciphering unit, has electronically created an account number which is being flashed on a screen in front of a bank official.” The IDA would connect to the bank’s central computer system.