INTERVIEW-Ford focused on cash, economy -- CFO

* Major concern still the economy

* Return to profitability single most important thing

* Reviews cash flow daily

* Ford shares at $5.63 on New York Stock Exchange

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By David Bailey DEARBORN, Mich., July 9 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) is focused on cash management with the economy still a major concern rather than the competitive positions of its U.S. rivals who have gone through bankruptcy, Ford's chief financial officer said on Thursday.

General Motors Corp GMGMQ.PK and Chrysler have "slightly cleaner" balance sheets than Ford after the Obama administration financed sales of their businesses, but Ford's competitors also face a range of continuing problems Ford CFO Lewis Booth called "bankruptcy residue."

Ford, meanwhile, remains focused on improving its balance sheet "by somewhat less extreme methods than going through bankruptcy," Booth told Reuters in an interview at Ford headquarters.