Germany's Commerzbank is closing in on a multi-year target of adding 1 million new retail customers to its client base, the head of that business said on Thursday. "Reaching 1 million customers this year is thoroughly realistic," board member Michael Mandel told a media briefing, referring to the net new client target set for the 2012-2016 period. The retail bank added 81,000 customers between January and April this year, bringing the total to 900,000 since December 2012. The bank currently has 11.9 million retail customers. Assets under control rose by 55 billion euros ($61 billion) over the same period to 317 billion euros, compared with the multi-year target of more than 300 billion. Mandel, who took charge of Commerzbank's retail operations after his predecessor Martin Zielke was promoted to chief executive in May, is revamping the lender's network of 1,050 branches as it moves toward a common IT platform that can reach clients through multiple channels.