London, April 25 (BridgeNews) - The major European equity markets closed mixed after another day that lacked any clear trend. U.K. banks were strong after Halifax and Bank of Scotland confirmed they were in talks for a $40 billion merger, but telecoms and technology stocks remained on the defensive amid concerns about earnings prospects. At 1600 GMT the FTSE Eurotop 100 Index was down 3 points, or 0.1%, at 3231.