* FTSEurofirst 300 closes 1.5 percent lower
* UniCredit falls as CEO resigns; other banks slip
* Miners among the few gainers as metals prices rise
By Brian Gorman
LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - European shares fell to their lowest close in more than two weeks on Wednesday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve made a downbeat assessment of the health of the economy.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares fell 1.5 percent to 1,066.46 points, the lowest close since Sept. 7. The index is still up 3.9 percent in September.
"The market had been anticipating positive news on quantitative easing from the Fed, but there was no definitive statement," said Mark Bon, fund manager at Canada Life in London. "There has been some profit-taking as the market had gone back near the top of its trading range."
Bon added that the market could break out of its range on a "continuation of M&A stories, positive earnings stories, and positive bond market developments in peripheral Europe". The heavyweight banking sector was the biggest drag on the index. UniCredit, Italy's biggest bank, fell 4 percent after chief Executive Alessandro Profumo quit in a row over Libyan stake-building.
Banco Santander fell 2.9 percent after Credit Suisse analysts downgraded the stock's rating to "neutral" from "outperform", on concerns that the bank was "now so big that structural growth is likely to decline, and it may face marginally declining returns".
Other banks to fall included Credit Suisse and UBS, down 2.4 and 2.9 percent, respectively.
On Tuesday the Fed opened the door to more monetary easing by saying it was ready to provide more support for the economy, highlighting the depth of the central bank's worry over the sluggish recovery.
"People have decided to focus on the Fed's assessment of the economy, not on the fact that it is determined to step in if needed. The bottom line is: Things are not improving on the macro front," said David Thebault, head of quantitative sales trading at Global Equities.
The Euro STOXX 50, the euro zone's blue-chip index, fell 1.5 percent to 2,752.77 points, moving back below its 200-day moving average and falling towards strong support at 2,737.62, the 50 percent retracement of the fall to a May low from an April high.
MINERS GAIN
Miners were among the few gainers, as a weaker dollar helped copper prices to rise and gold hit another record high following the Fed's statement.
Anglo American, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton, Randgold, Rio Tinto and Xstrata rose between 2.1 and 3.1 percent. But the weaker dollar failed to stop crude prices falling back after data showed U.S. stockpiles rose last week.
Oil majors Total, BP and Royal Dutch Shell fell between 1.9 and 2.1 percent.
Germany's DAX index and France's CAC 40 fell 1.1 and 1.3 percent, while Spain's IBEX sank 2.1 percent. Portugal's benchmark outperformed, falling 0.6 percent, against a backdrop of strong demand for 750 million euros ($997 million) of sovereign bonds on offer.
Britain's FTSE 100 index ended the day just 0.4 percent lower, helped by its raft of miners.
Wall Street was lower around the time European bourses were closing. The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were down between 0.5 and 1 percent. (Additional reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Will Waterman)