In London the FTSE 100 added 0.09 percent to 6,730.7, but the FTSE 250 dropped 0.4 percent to 11,576.3.
Northern Rock moved back into the gainers column with the best day on the 100, adding 5.91 percent to 273.25p on the possibility that Virgin Group is looking at a rescue of the troubled bank.
The oil sector was mixed on the session.
Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) was 3.66 percent higher to £13.04 and BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) was up 4.3 percent to 619p, but Hunting (LSE: HTG) dropped 3.58 percent to 755p.
Online price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com (LSE: MONY) led the 250 with a gain of 4.8 percent to 191p.
The biggest loser on the 250 was holding company Rank Group (LSE: RNK), which fell 21.38 percent to 125p on the session.
House builders were still feeling the pain of Thursday’s new data showing that home prices fell again in September.
Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was 2.69 percent lower to 976p, while Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was down 3.19 percent to 699p and Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) dropped 3.27 percent to 281.25p.